Titanium
by Autobot Trapjaw
Summary: Jamie keeps having the same nightmare after she's almost eaten by Shockwave's pet dragon, also referred to as the Predacon. Sequel to Human Companionship, about one year later.


Titanium  
Chapter 1  
Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters  
Sequel to: Human Companionship  
_Dream  
_**Jamie's Thoughts**

* * *

**A/N: Well, it took me a year to write the first book, so let's see how this one will take. Sorry for the blunt ending of 'Human Companionship,' but I felt it was where I was meant to stop. In appreciation to all the faves, follows, views, and reviews, I give you the second installment of the TF: P series… Titanium. Thanks for all the positive feedback with H.C.! You guys are amazing! Feel free to shoot me a message about Human Companionship, Titanium, Jamie, whatever! :P**

* * *

_There was a lot of blood. Pain. But it was worth a shot. A large shard of stained glass sat jammed in her chest, and the wound from it was turning the light blue fragment turn a sickening shade of purple. It was hard to breathe, and she could feel the blood bubble up into her mouth from her throat. It was warm and metallic in taste. It coated her teeth as it flowed steadily into her mouth._

"_Don't give up… keep fighting. For me. Please. Just keep fighting – the world isn't going to stop spinning if I die, understand? I'm a monster… I was nothing but a monster. This is the best for everyone, and I don't regret what I did."_

"_B-but… we could've found a way to help you, to make you better! You didn't have to do it…"_

_She began to twitch unnaturally, and her deep hazel eyes began to morph into ones of a dark, blood red._

"_You have to g-go now… You're going to get hurt if y-you don't." The blood began to overflow and spill from the corners of her mouth. The horrible reality of her status was beginning to emerge; she was becoming the monster she said she was – she was becoming the Decepticons' experimental mutant. Her attempt to kill herself was useless; the Energon mixture was unstoppable._

_She looked at him with all the guilt and sadness in her soul as she began to lose her humanity. He became less of an innocent boy and more of a victim of insanity and tyranny. She began to forget who he was to her, and seeing him as an enemy._

_He stared at her, seeing how she was no longer human. She had been compromised. Her teeth became small daggers in her gums, and her nails became vicious claws. Her eyes appeared red, and her skin had begun to form into a thick, metallic armor._

_She had been mutated into a Predacon._

_As he fell to the ground in attempt to escape the scene that unfolded before him, the boy could see the fear, the worry, at the edges of her eyes. She was struggling to keep a grasp on her humanity._

"_Run, son! Before it's too laAARRRRRGH!" A murderous screech filled the air as the alien substance had ripped her from her humanity. It was over… There was no stopping the Decepticons in winning the war._

Jamie woke with a forced scream. The air in her lungs was gone, and she couldn't breathe on her own. She sat up trying to shout from the fright her nightmare had caused.

"WHEELJACK!"

* * *

It had happened again. That fragging nightmare. Jamie had seen every detail as if it was occurring in the material world. She could taste the blood. She could feel the pain. She struggled to breathe for a number of hours after she woke. The most realistic feeling, though, was of the mutation itself. Jamie was tortured by the pain of her DNA changing, and the Energon substance taking over her very chemical make-up. Her skin would tingle all over her body. Her eyes always became bloodshot as well. The nightmare felt so real, and it quickly began to take a toll on Jamie.

"Ratchet, this has become a serious issue. Jamie has had the same nightmare for nearly a month, and it has taken a toll on her physical condition," Optimus said, looking at the small human. It had been just short of a year since she last had nightmares, but these were different. This nightmare was much more than_ just_ a nightmare.

"I know, Optimus. I know. She keeps getting weaker after each nightmare, and it's going to become life-threatening if this keeps happening." The medic looked over at where she rested. The girl was a strong individual, but now the 16 year old was looking so weak. So vulnerable. It concerned him to see her in the condition she was in.

Jamie had suffered much more than usual from the nightmare. It had escalated from just a nightmare to being a horrifying memory that replayed itself night after night. It made sense as to where it came from; Megatron had gotten his hands on a Predacon clone, thanks to Shockwave. The cold, calculating mech had emerged from the dead planet of Cybertron just after things had fallen into chaos. After Megatron claimed Jasper to be Darkmount.

After the Autobots had been scattered to the winds.

After Wheeljack had been captured by Starscream.

After Optimus almost died, and Smokescreen was almost a prime.

After all Pit broke loose was when Shockwave arrived with his pet.

With all the worrying and fright, with hiding in fear for weeks, without knowing how the rest of the team was, it made sense as to why Jamie had nightmares of Predacons now that everyone was back together. The thing tried to kill her, Miko, Wheeljack, Bulk, and the newb… Magnus.

Jamie lay on a berth in the new base location's med bay. She was sick, she knew she was. If she wasn't, there wouldn't have been various tubes, wires, machines surrounding her, beeping with the rhythm of her heart.

If she wasn't sick, Wheeljack wouldn't have been sitting at her bedside with faded optics, the result of not enough recharge.

If she wasn't sick, Smokescreen wouldn't have brought out Cabela, her stuffed timber wolf, from the storage closet. Pulling said wolf closer to her side, Jamie rolled her head to the left. She looked at Wheeljack, who sat on the concrete floor next to the berth.

"Hey, Christmas-bot… you okay?" she asked with a weak voice. Wheeljack's helm snapped up from his digits in his lap. His optics met her hazel eyes.

"I'm fine, kiddo… it's you I'm worried about. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Wheeljack. Really, I am."

"Are you sure? "

"Yeah… it was just…"

"Just what?"

"It was just so real this time. As if I actually was there, doing everything that happened," Jamie said, biting a small portion of her bottom lip.

Wheeljack nodded. "I could tell it scared the scrap outta you."

"It was intense, Jackie…" He nodded again. "And every night, it just keeps getting worse."

"That's how it looks, kid. It wasn't this severe last time, and now here you are stuck in Med Bay."

"I need help…"

"Don't make it sound like it's your fault, Jamie… It's not."

"I get that… I'm just tired of being plagued by this thing. Nightmares are supposed to go away after a while, but since that beast tried to scrap us, it's all I dream about."

Wheeljack looked at his charge; he could see the fright in her eyes that she tried so desperately to hide. He hated to see the kid so weak. She pale. So small.

"Try to get some sleep in, Jamie. You really need it…. Love ya, kid."

"Love you, too… Dad," Jamie replied with a sad smile before she rolled over to the other side. She could feel the water begin to pool at the corners of her eyes, and she didn't want him to see. Not anymore.

She had called him Dad… was that how she saw him? The Wrecker watched as she rolled to the right, and then he proceeded to get up, pushing himself up from the floor. She needed to be alone for a bit. She refused to cry in front of the others, but the Wrecker could tell that she really wanted to let it out.

* * *

Ratchet, Optimus, and Ultra Magnus all sat around a round table. The topic of discussion: Jamie and her nightmares.

"Optimus, what are we to do with the human? She is growing weaker and weaker with each passing night from lack of recharge and the nightmares themselves."

"I am well aware of this, Ultra Magnus. Ever since the Predacon attempted to terminate her, she can't rest through the night without it tormenting her." The Prime rubbed his left optic tiredly. He knew Jamie didn't intentionally wake everyone from recharge, but it was beginning to affect the others' recharging. He needed a nap and soon.

"From what I've gathered from Wheeljack, Jamie's nightmares consist of, but are not limited to, mutants, the Decepticons, and intense realistic feelings during the course of the dream."

"Is that all?"

"No, but you know Jamie, Optimus. She's been very secretive with what happens." Optimus nodded.

"Indeed she has."

"Then how does she expect us to fix the problem if we know next-to-nothing about it?" Magnus blurted. The other two mechs were taken by surprise at the SIC's outburst, and they looked at him with the surprise on their faceplates.

"Forgive my outburst, Optimus. I just don't understand humans' thought process," he said shamefully.

"Ultra Magnus, you are quite new to Earth, and there is much that both you and I do not understand about humans. In this situation, it is not that way. Jamie is an individual different from Rafael, Miko, Jack, and much of the human population in general. She isn't one to ask for help unless she knows she cannot move on without it."

"And even then, sometimes she won't ask for it," Ratchet added on.

"Jamie is a unique human, Ultra Magnus. She is very independent."

"I noticed that. She seems to be attached to the Wrecker, though, Sir. I would advise her to do otherwise."

"Why is that, Ultra Magnus?"

"Wheeljack was under my command when we were at war on Cybertron. He is reckless, self-centered, and has no respect for his commanding officers, amongst other things… Sir."

"If I may, Ultra Magnus, Jamie works miracles. We are aware of his recklessness, but ever since he and Jamie have been with each other, he's become less of a wild mech and more of a dedicated warrior."

"With 'each other?' Are they… ?" Magnus had an expression on his faceplates that one would describe as the 'WTF' look.

Ratchet face palmed.

"No… he meant as partners, such as Bulkhead and Miko, Rafael and Bumblebee, and Jack and Arcee."

"…..Oh…. I understand."

Jamie rolled her eyes. She couldn't fall asleep very long once she woke at night, her having become more of an insomniac as the years went by. The nightmares had kept her from sleeping, and she was constantly tired, but it would never prevent her from being who she was: a very nosy person.

She had been listening to the conversation between Prime, Ratchet, and Magnus almost the whole time; she had walked past the door at the "Forgive my outburst, Optimus," part.

**Magnus, you newb. This isn't Cybertron. Relax a little; Ops can handle an outburst now and again. Sheesh…**

It was quite an interesting conversation to listen to, especially since Magnus was under the impression that she and her protective Autobot guardian were dating.

**Total blackmail material, dude… God, I love technology.**

She hugged her tape recorder as she sat outside the door, listening to the convo.

"Wheeljack seems to have competition for who the human appreciates more, I have also noticed." Magnus got 'the look' again.

"Explain."

"I've noticed that she also has emotional attachments with the rookie: Smokescreen."

**You best not say that I seem to have a crush on Smokey…**

"She seems to have deeper feelings for the mech than she does for Wheeljack, Sir."

"FRAG IT, MAGNUS! I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON SMOKESCREEN!"

Jamie's eyes widened as she let the last word roll off of her tongue. Whoops.

"Sir, I believe that our meeting has been compromised by a certain nosy femme."


End file.
